Methods and sytem for simultaneously generating vehicle history reports and preapproved financing options

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of the system and method described herein provides a computer system configured to provide an interface for operation by a user at a remote computing device, receive a request from the user for a vehicle history report of a vehicle. The computer system is further configured to prompt the user for interest in a prequalification for a financing offer. The computer system is further configured to receive the indication of the user&#39;s interest in the prequalification. The system also includes a data storage module, accessible by the computer system, configured to retrieve data corresponding to the vehicle, store the retrieved data, retrieve data corresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for the financing offer, and store the retrieved determination. The computer system is further configured to convey the vehicle history report to the user and convey the prequalification determination to the user.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

BACKGROUND

The decision of buying or leasing a specific vehicle involves not onlyfulfilling the consumer's desired list of attributes for the vehicle,but also the consumer's ability to finance the purchase or lease of thespecific vehicle with such attributes. Furthermore, the list ofattributes and the financing options are interdependent, since theconsumer's list of desired attributes may be affected by the ability topay for such attributes, and the financing options available to theconsumer are dependent on the vehicle's attributes which would affectthe vehicle's price. The computer systems (and other computing devices)available to consumers today provide the ability to browse vehicles'attributes. Other systems available provide the ability to determinefinancing options available to consumers, independent of knowledge orthe specific vehicles the consumer may be interested in. Additionally,vehicle seller systems may track the browsing history of consumers todetermine which vehicles the consumer is interested in. There iscurrently no interconnection between all of the vehicle seller systems,financing systems, and consumer systems. Therefore, vehicle sellers arenot made aware of the qualifications of such interested consumers andthus sellers may waste resources in attempts to sell a vehicle which theconsumer cannot afford. The process of locating and purchasing avehicle, or for selling the vehicle, using such independent systems isalso much more time consuming and less efficient for the consumer aswell as the car dealers and the lenders involved. Accordingly, systemsand processes for integrating vehicle history report requests withrequests for consumer information, processing the requested informationagainst financing determination factors to determine a consumer'sprequalified financing options, correlating these determinations withthe consumer's browsing activities, and communicating suchdeterminations to the consumer and the vehicle seller are desired.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices of the invention each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed bythe claims which follow, some features will now be discussed briefly.After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading thesection entitled “Detailed Description,” one will understand how thefeatures of the various aspects of this invention provide advantagesthat include improved communications between access points and stationsin a wireless network.

One aspect of this disclosure provides a vehicle history andprequalification system. The system comprises a computer system, havinga processor and a memory, and a data storage module accessible by thecomputer system. The computer system is configured to provide aninterface for operation by a user at a remote computing device andreceive a request, via the interface, from the user regarding a vehiclehistory report of a vehicle, the request including at least one of avehicle identification number (\TIN) of the vehicle, a license plate ofthe vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle. The computersystem is also configured to prompt the user, via the interface, for anindication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offerassociated with the vehicle. The computer system is further configuredto receive the indication of user interest in the prequalification, viathe interface, the indication including personal information of theuser. The data storage module is configured to retrieve datacorresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third partyinformation database, an industry publication database, a safety ratingsdatabase, and a vehicle specification database. The data storage moduleis further configured to store the retrieved data according to the VIN,license plate, or other unique identifier for the vehicle. The datastorage module is also configured to retrieve data corresponding to adetermination regarding the prequalification for the financing offer.The data storage module is also further configured to store theretrieved data according to one or more unique identifiers for the user.The computer system is then further configured to convey, via theinterface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehicle historyreport generated based on the retrieved and stored data corresponding tothe vehicle and convey, via the interface, the prequalificationdetermination to the user.

Another aspect disclosed is a method, the method comprising providing aninterface for operation by a user at a remote computing device andreceiving a request, via the interface, from the user regarding avehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least oneof a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plateof the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle. The methodalso comprises prompting the user, via the interface, for an indicationof user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associatedwith the vehicle and receiving the indication of user interest in theprequalification, via the interface, the indication including personalinformation of the user. The method further comprises retrieving datacorresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third partyinformation database, an industry publication database, a safety ratingsdatabase, and a vehicle specification database and storing the retrieveddata according to the YIN, license plate, or other unique identifier forthe vehicle. The method also further comprises retrieving datacorresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for thefinancing offer and storing the retrieved data according to one or moreunique identifiers for the user. The method further also comprisesconveying, via the interface, the vehicle history report to the user,the vehicle history report generated based on the retrieved and storeddata corresponding to the vehicle and conveying, via the interface, theprequalification determination to the user.

Another aspect disclosed is an apparatus for vehicle history andprequalification determination. The apparatus comprises means forproviding communication with a user at a remote computing device andmeans for receiving a request from the user regarding a vehicle historyreport of a vehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicleidentification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of thevehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle. The apparatusfurther comprises means for prompting the user for an indication of userinterest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with thevehicle and means for receiving the indication of user interest in theprequalification the indication including personal information of theuser. The apparatus also comprises means for retrieving datacorresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third partyinformation database, an industry publication database, a safety ratingsdatabase, and a vehicle specification database and means for storing theretrieved data according to the VIN, license plate, or other uniqueidentifier for the vehicle. The apparatus also further comprises meansfor retrieving data corresponding to a determination regarding theprequalification for the financing offer and means for storing theretrieved data according to one or more unique identifiers for the user.The apparatus further also comprises means for conveying the vehiclehistory report to the user, the vehicle history report generated basedon the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle and meansfor conveying the prequalification determination to the user.

Another aspect disclosed is a computer program product comprising acomputer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed,cause an apparatus to perform a method. The method comprises providingan interface for operation by a user at a remote computing device andreceiving a request, via the interface, from the user regarding avehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at least oneof a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plateof the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle. The methodalso comprises prompting the user, via the interface, for an indicationof user interest in a prequalification for a financing offer associatedwith the vehicle and receiving the indication of user interest in theprequalification, via the interface, the indication including personalinfoirnation of the user. The method further comprises retrieving datacorresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third partyinformation database, an industry publication database, a safety ratingsdatabase, and a vehicle specification database and storing the retrieveddata according to the VIN, license plate, or other unique identifier forthe vehicle. The method also further comprises retrieving datacorresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for thefinancing offer and storing the retrieved data according to one or moreunique identifiers for the user. The method further also comprisesconveying, via the interface, the vehicle history report to the user,the vehicle history report generated based on the retrieved and storeddata corresponding to the vehicle and conveying, via the interface, theprequalification determination to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned aspects, as well as other features, aspects, andadvantages of the present technology will now be described in connectionwith various aspects, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Theillustrated aspects, however, are merely examples and are not intendedto be limiting. Throughout the drawings, similar symbols typicallyidentify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. Notethat the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawnto scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates one possible organization of a communication systemfor simultaneously generating vehicle history reports and preapprovedfinancing options.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram corresponding to an aspect of hardware and/orsoftware components of an example embodiment of the vehicle history andprequalification server of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a process flowchart illustrating an example method ofgenerating a vehicle history report and a prequalification determinationbased on the consumer request.

FIG. 4 is an example consumer interface for prompting the consumer forinformation needed to perform the prequalification determination, asused in an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an example consumer interface for prompting the consumer forinformation needed to perform the prequalification determination, asused in an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process for providing a consumerwith a vehicle's history report and also providing the pre-qualificationand/or pre-approval determinations, as used in an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a process forproviding a consumer with a vehicle's history report and also providingthe pre-qualification and/or pre-approval determinations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methods aredescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The teachings disclosed may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to any specificstructure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather,these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to thoseskilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, one skilled in theart should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended tocover any aspect of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methodsdisclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined withany other aspect of the invention. For example, an apparatus may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspectsset forth herein. In addition, the scope of the invention is intended tocover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using otherstructure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition toor other than the various aspects of the invention set forth herein. Itshould be understood that any aspect disclosed herein may be embodied byone or more elements of a claim.

Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations andpermutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure.Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects arementioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited toparticular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects of thedisclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to different consumergoods and services industries. The detailed description and drawings aremerely illustrative of the disclosure rather than limiting, the scope ofthe disclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalentsthereof.

Popular network technologies may include various types of wireless orwired networks. The wireless or wired network may be used tointerconnect nearby devices together, employing widely used networkingprotocols. The various aspects described herein may apply to anycommunication standard, such as a wireless 802.11 protocol.

FIG. 1 illustrates one possible organization of a communication system100 comprising a network 102, a consumer terminal 104, a vehicle historyand prequalification server (VHPS) 106, a dealer server 108, a pluralityof lender servers 110A-110C, and a vehicle history data store 116.Additionally, communication links 118 a-118 g are shown enablingcommunication among the components of communication system 100 via thenetwork 102. In some embodiments, one or more of the servers andterminals described above may be combined into a single server and/orterminal combination device. The communication system 100 may be used toimplement systems and methods described herein.

In some embodiments, a consumer may use the consumer terminal 104 toshop for a vehicle that the consumer intends to purchase. For example,the consumer terminal 104 may comprise a laptop, a desktop, a tablet, amobile phone, a PDA, or any other computing device with which theconsumer may browse the Internet. In some embodiments, the consumer maybe shopping for another good besides a vehicle, for example furniture, ahome, a marine vehicle, or similar goods which may involve financing.For simplicity, a consumer shopping activity described herein will bedirected to a vehicle purchase or lease as an example, though othersimilar purchase activities as those described above are contemplated.When shopping for a vehicle, the consumer may be browsing a vehicledealer's website. In some embodiments, the dealer website may be hostedby the dealer server 108. While shopping, the consumer may filtervarious listings on the dealer website to view only vehicles that meetvarious criteria as established by the consumer. While browsing thedealer's website, the consumer may select one or more vehicles thatinterest the consumer and may request a vehicle history report (VHR), orother additional information associated with the selected one or morevehicles. The request for the vehicle history report may initiate acommunication from the dealer server 108 that is hosting the dealerwebsite to the VHPS 106, though the VHR request may be handled invarious other manners.

The VHPS 106 may comprise a server that provides one or more of VHRs andfinancing prequalification determinations. For example, the VHPS 106 maybe able to provide the VHR for a vehicle given its vehicleidentification number (VIN) or other unique identifying information,such as a license plate, etc. Additionally, or alternatively, the VHPS106 may provide financing prequalification determinations for potentialfinancing offers based on information from or about the consumer,information regarding the vehicle in which the consumer is interested,and qualification criteria as received from financial institutions andunderwriters providing the financial offers. In some embodiments, theVHRs and the prequalification determinations may be provided by twodistinct servers (not shown in this figure).

In providing the VHRs, the VHPS 106 may retrieve the VHRs from thevehicle history data store 116. The vehicle history data store 116 maycomprise a database or other storage device comprising VHRs organized ina searchable manner. The vehicle history data store 116 may include oneor more internal and/or external data sources. The data sources mayinclude internal and external data sources which store, for example,vehicle history attributes data and/or other consumer data. In someembodiments, the vehicle history data store 116 may comprise a pluralityof databases or sources, including third party databases or sources,such as an industry publication database, a safety ratings database, anda vehicle specification database, that include information regarding avehicle history. In some embodiments, one or more of the databases ordata sources may be implemented using a relational database, such asSybase, Oracle, CodeBase and Microsoft® SQL Server as well as othertypes of databases such as, for example, a flat file database, anentity-relationship database, and object-oriented database, and/or arecord-based database.

In some embodiments, the vehicle history data store 116 may comprisesearchable data that will eventually be rendered to generate the VHRs.The VHRS can be used to aggregate information about a specific vehicle.In some embodiments, the vehicle history reports may include informationregarding accident history, mileage history, ownership history, amongothers, for a designated vehicle (identified by the VIN or other uniqueidentifying information).

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the VHPS 106 (or similar device) mayrequest and extract appropriate data for the selected vehicle based onthe provided YIN or other unique identifying information. In someembodiments, the extracted data or the vehicle history report may beprovided to the requesting consumer in the form of the vehicle historyreport. For example, when the VHPS 106 receives a complete vehiclehistory report from another source, that vehicle history report may becommunicated to the consumer, as requested. In some embodiments, theVHPS 106 may verify one or pieces of information on the receivedcomplete vehicle history report to confirm the vehicle history report isaccurate. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106 may generate the vehiclehistory report from extracted data received from one or more vehiclehistory data stores 116.

Additionally, or alternatively, the extracted data or the vehiclehistory report, or portions thereof, may be used in the prequalificationdetermination. For example, when the VHPS 106 performs theprequalification determination, the VHPS 106 may analyze informationregarding the specific vehicle, consumer information, and thequalification information provided by financial parties to determine ifthe consumer can be prequalified for a financing offer in relation tothe specific vehicle. In some embodiments, the information regarding thespecific vehicle may include price, make, model, year, body style,mileage, etc. In some embodiments, the consumer information may includename, birthdate, income, credit history, etc. The VHPS 106 may beconfigured to request and receive data from various databases based onthe information needed to make the prequalification determination. Forexample, when the consumer requests the vehicle history report asdescribed above, the consumer may be presented with one or morefinancing offers. If the consumer selects a financing offer of interest,the consumer may be prompted to enter information used in the financingprequalification (e.g., income, debt, credit score, biographicalinformation, etc.). In some embodiments, the consumer may not beprompted to select a financing offer of interest, but rather the VHPS106 may determine the consumer's prequalification status for allavailable financing offers in view of the provided vehicle and consumerinformation.

In determining prequalification for potential financing offers, the VHPS106 may retrieve the qualification criteria directly from financinginstitutions (e.g., lenders' servers 110A-110C). In some embodiments,more than one financing institution may provide qualification criteriafor financing offers, and the VHPS 106 may determine whether theconsumer is prequalified. The VHPS 106 may determine the consumer'sprequalification status based on the information provided by theconsumer and the criteria provided by the financing institutions. Forexample, in some embodiments, a financing offer may comprise criteriarequiring that the consumer have a credit score above 650 and an annualincome of greater than $40,000. Accordingly, if the consumer can meetthese criteria (e.g., has an income greater than $40,000 and a creditscore of at least 650), then the VHPS 106 may determine that theconsumer is qualified for that financing offer. In some embodiments, theVHPS 106 may be configured to provide the consumer information and/orthe specific vehicle information to one or more of the lenders' servers110A-110C.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the three lenders' servers(Lender A 110A, Lender B 110B, and Lender C 110C) may be part of thecommunication system 100 and may be configured to provide financingoffers to consumer terminals 104 or prequalification criteria to theVHPS 106. When the lenders' servers 110A-110C are configured to performthe prequalification determinations, the lenders' servers 110A-110C maybe configured to receive the consumer information and/or specificvehicle information from the VHPS 106 and may use the receivedinformation in the prequalification determinations. In some embodiments,prequalification results from the lenders' servers 110A-110C and/or theVHPS 106 may be provided to the consumer terminal 104 via the dealerwebsite and the dealer server 108. In some embodiments, theprequalification results from the lenders' servers 110A-110C and/or theVHPS 106 may be communicated to the dealer. In some embodiments, theprequalification results from the lenders' servers 110A-110C and/or theVHPS 106 may be communicated to the consumer terminal 104 via e-mail ora private message. In some embodiments, the lenders' servers 110A-110Cand/or the VHPS 106 may be configured to cause new window or popup to bedisplayed on the consumer terminal 104 so as to communicate directlywith the consumer while bypassing the dealer website. In someembodiments, the VHPS 106 may receive the prequalification determinationfrom the one or more lenders' servers 110A-110C and may communicate thatinformation to one or more of the consumer (via the consumer terminal104) or the dealer.

In some embodiments, the prequalification determination results from thelenders' servers 110A-110C and/or the VHPS 106 may be communicated tothe dealer. In some embodiments, when the prequalification determinationresults are communicated to the dealer, they may be communicated alongwith a request to automatically filter the dealer listings to displayonly cars that the consumer is qualified to purchase using financing.For example, when the lenders' servers 110A-110C or the VHPS 106determine that the consumer is not prequalified to purchase the specificvehicle selected by the consumer, they may idea what vehicle specificswould be acceptable (e.g., lower price, different make/model, fewerfeatures, etc.). Accordingly, the “acceptable” vehicle specifics may becommunicated to the dealer with a request to filter the dealer listingsto show the consumer vehicles they are prequalified to purchase.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram corresponding to hardware and/or softwarecomponents of an example embodiment of the VHPS of FIG. 1. The hardwareand/or software components as discussed below with reference to theblock diagram of the VHPS 106 may be included in any of the devices ofthe communication system 100 (e.g., the consumer terminal 104, thedealer server 108, and the lenders' servers 110A-110C). These componentsmay be used to implement systems and methods described herein.

In some embodiments, certain modules described below, such as a userinterface module 210, a vehicle history report (VHR) module 214, or afinancing module 216 included with the VHPS 106 may be included with orperformed by different and/or multiple devices of the communicationsystem 100. For example, certain user interface functionality describedherein may be performed by the user interface module 210 of the VHPS 106and/or by the user interface module 210 of the consumer terminal 104.

In an embodiment, various software modules are included in the vehiclehistory reporting and financing system 100, which may be stored on acomponent of the system 100 itself, or on computer readable storagemedia separate from the system 100 and in communication with the system100 via the network 102 or other appropriate means.

The VHPS 106 may include, for example, a computer that is IBM,Macintosh, or Linux/Unix compatible or a server or workstation. In someembodiments, the VHPS 106 comprises a smart phone, a personal digitalassistant, a kiosk, or a media player. In some embodiments, the VHPS 106includes one or more central processing units (“CPUs”) 202, I/Ointerfaces and devices 204, memory 206, mass storage device 208, theuser interface module 210, multimedia device 212, the VHR module 214,the financing module 216, and bus 218.

The CPU 202 may control operation of the VHPS 106. The CPU 202 may alsobe referred to as a processor. The CPU 202 may comprise or be acomponent of a processing system implemented with one or moreprocessors. The one or more processors may be implemented with anycombination of general-purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers,digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate array (FPGAs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gatedlogic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite statemachines, or any other suitable entities that can perform calculationsor other manipulations of information.

The I/O interface 204 may comprise a keypad, a microphone, a touchpad, aspeaker, a touchscreen, and/or a display, or any other commonlyavailable input/output (I/O) devices and interfaces. The I/O interface204 may include any element or component that conveys information to aconsumer of the VHPS 106 and/or receives input from the consumer. In oneembodiment, the I/O interface 204 includes one or more display devices,such as a monitor, that allows the visual presentation of data to theconsumer. More particularly, the display device may provide for thepresentation of GUIs, application software data, and multimediapresentations, for example.

In some embodiments, the I/O interface 204 may provide a communicationinterface to various external devices. For example, the VHPS 106 may beelectronically coupled to the network 102 (FIG. 1), which comprises oneor more of a LAN, WAN, and/or the Internet. Accordingly, the I/Ointerface 204 may include an interface allowing for communication withthe network 102, for example, via a wired communication port, a wirelesscommunication port, or combination thereof. The network 102 may allowvarious terminals and computing devices and/or other electronic devicesto communicate with each other via wired or wireless communicationlinks.

The memory 206, which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and randomaccess memory (RAM), may provide instructions and data to the CPU 202.For example, inputs received by one or more components of the device 202may be stored in the memory 206. A portion of the memory 206 may alsoinclude non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The CPU 202 typicallyperforms logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructionsstored within the memory 206. The instructions in the memory 206 may beexecutable to implement the methods described herein.

The VHPS 106 may also include the mass storage device 208 for storingsoftware or information (for example, the vehicle history reports orassociated data). Software shall be construed broadly to mean any typeof instructions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware,microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Instructions mayinclude code (e.g., in source code format, binary code format,executable code format, or any other suitable format of code). Theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause theprocessing system to perform the various functions described herein.Accordingly, the VHPS 106 may include, e.g., hardware, firmware, andsoftware, or any combination therein. The mass storage device 208 maycomprise a hard drive, diskette, solid state drive, or optical mediastorage device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 includes the VHR module 214. In someembodiments, the VHR module 214 may be stored in the mass storage device208 as executable software code that is executed by the CPU 202. This,and other modules in the VHPS 106, may include components, such ashardware and/or software components, object-oriented softwarecomponents, class components and task components, processes, functions,attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers,firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures,tables, arrays, and variables. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, theVHPS 106 may be configured to execute the VHR module 214 to perform thevarious methods and/or processes as described herein.

In some embodiments, the VHR module 214 may be configured to identify arequest for a vehicle history report as received from the consumer usingthe consumer terminal 104 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the requestfor the vehicle history report may include a VIN (or other uniqueidentifier for a vehicle in which the consumer is interested) and aconsumer identifier that identifies the consumer requesting the vehiclehistory report.

In some embodiments, the VHR module 214 may use the VIN to generate arequest to a vehicle history data store (e.g., the external vehiclehistory data store 116 of FIG. 1). The request may be that all dataand/or records associated with the VIN be returned to the VHR module214. In some embodiments, when the data received from the vehiclehistory data store 116 is not compiled into a report that is easilyunderstood by the consumer, the VHR module 214 may generate the vehiclehistory report for the ease of use by the consumer. The VHR module 214may then communicate the vehicle history report to the consumer thatrequested the vehicle history report using the consumer identifier.Accordingly, the VHR module 214 may ensure that the consumer receivesthe requested vehicle history report regardless of the format of thedata which the VHR module 214 receives from the vehicle history datastore 116. For example, the VHR module 214 performs the verification ofinformation on the received complete vehicle history report describedabove. Alternatively, or in addition, the VHR module 214 may generatethe vehicle history report in a consumer friendly format from extracteddata received from one or more vehicle history data stores 116. In someembodiments, the VHR module 214 may generate the vehicle history reportonly including information specifically requested by the consumer (e.g.,number owners, mileage issues, accidents, recalls, etc.). In someembodiments, the VHR module 214 may also be configured to providevehicle information to one or more of the other components of the VHPS106 and/or other components the system 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 includes the financing determinationmodule 216. In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216may be stored in the mass storage device 208 as executable software codethat is executed by the CPU 202. This, and other modules in the VHPS106, may include components, such as hardware and/or softwarecomponents, object-oriented software components, class components andtask components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures,subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode,circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, andvariables. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 is configuredto execute the financing determination module 216 to perform the variousmethods and/or processes as described herein.

In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may beconfigured to identify a request, as received from the consumer usingthe consumer terminal 104 of FIG. 1, for a prequalificationdetermination of the consumer with regard to one or more financingoffers. The prequalification determination request may requestaffirmation or denial of whether or not the consumer is prequalified forone or more selected financing offers. For example, when purchasing avehicle, the consumer may need or desire to apply for financing to payfor the vehicle. To determine if the consumer qualifies for a financingoffer as presented by one or more lenders, the consumer may request aprequalification determination for each of the one or more financingoffers. The prequalification determination for a financing offer may bea less detailed determination than an application process for the samefinancing offer. In some embodiments, the prequalification determinationmay utilize both consumer information (e.g., financial information,etc.) as well as vehicle information (e.g., make, model, price, etc.).In some embodiments, the prequalification determination may utilize onlyconsumer information.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the request for the prequalificationdetermination may include vehicle information as well as informationabout the consumer (e.g., personal information, financial information,etc.) and the consumer identifier that identifies the consumerrequesting the prequalification determination. In some embodiments, theconsumer information may be saved as part of a consumer profile, forexample, as associated with a consumer account with the dealer or thelenders. Accordingly, when the consumer information is part of theconsumer profile, the prequalification determination request may notinclude receiving the personal information from the consumer, but ratherfrom the dealer server 106 or the consumer terminal 104 or the lenderserver 110A-110C. In some embodiments, the consumer information may belinked with a third party account. For example, when prompted forconsumer information, the consumer may provide login credentials for athird party account (e.g., a bank account, a store account, etc.), andthe third party account may be used a source for the desired consumerinformation. For example, when prompted for consumer financialinformation, the consumer may provide their bank account credentials,and the VHPS 106 (via one or more of the I/O interfaces and devices 204,the CPU 202, the user interface module 210, and the financingdetermination module 216) may request and receive the consumer financialinformation from the bank account.

In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may receivethe prequalification determination request from the consumer andcommunicate the request to one or more of the lenders' servers 110A-110Cfor the lenders themselves to determine via a financing determinationprocess. The financing determination process may comprise a process ofapplying the consumer information and/or the vehicle information to thefinancing criteria established by the lenders. Accordingly, thefinancing determination module 216 may receive a communication from thelenders' server 110A-110C regarding the determination (e.g., qualifiedor not qualified) and may communicate that determination to the dealerand/or the consumer via the I/O interfaces and devices 204 and/or theuser interface module 210 and the user identifier.

In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may receivethe prequalification criteria from the lenders' servers 110A-110C. Thefinancing determination module 216 may be configured to apply theinformation received in the prequalification determination request tothe prequalification criteria received from the lenders' servers110A-110C to generate the requested prequalification determination.Accordingly, the financing determination module 216 may perform thefinancing determination process. As described above, when the lendersperform the financing determination process to determine the result ofthe prequalification determination request, the result may becommunicated back to the financing determination module 216 (e.g., viathe I/O interfaces and devices 204), which may communicate the result tothe consumer using the consumer identifier. This result may also becommunicated to the dealer in conjunction with the consumer identifierto allow the dealer to better customize their sales efforts based on theconsumer prequalification results. When the financing determinationmodule 216 determines the result of the prequalification determinationrequest itself, the financing determination module 216 may communicatethe result to the consumer using the consumer identifier. Similarly, theresult may be communicated to the dealer to allow for customized salesefforts based on that consumer's qualifications.

In some embodiments, the result of the prequalification determinationrequest may be a simple “Yes” or “Prequalified” or “Approved” or “No” or“Denied”, among others. In some embodiments, if the result of theprequalification determination request is negative, the financingdetermination module 216 may use the provided consumer information andspecific vehicle information (when applicable) to generate attributes orfactors that may lead to a prequalification determination for theconsumer. For example, if the specific vehicle selected by the consumeris too expensive in view of the financial information provided by theconsumer, then the financing determination module 216 may generate anattribute or factor indicating the price of the specific vehicle was toohigh. Alternatively, or additionally, if the specific vehicle selectedinvolves too much risk in view of the criteria, the financingdetermination module 216 may generate vehicle features (e.g., thevehicle has too many miles or is of an undesirable make/model orincludes a title issues) associated with these risks.

In some embodiments, the financing determination module 216 may thengenerate a communication to the dealer (e.g., via the I/O interfaces anddevices 204) requesting the dealer provide a listing of vehicles thatmeet the generated list of attributes or factors. This requested listingmay comprise a list of vehicles available at the dealer for which theconsumer would be prequalified to purchase. The financing determinationmodule 216 may then cause the listing of vehicles that meet thegenerated list of attributes or factors to be displayed or provided tothe consumer, for example via the user interface module 210 or via theI/O interfaces and devices 204. In some embodiments, the financingdetermination module 216 may provide this listing of vehicles to thedealer in conjunction with the consumer identifier so the dealer maytailor its services and offerings to the consumer. Accordingly, even ifthe consumer is not approved for the requested financing offer (or anyautomatically searched financing offer), the financing determinationmodule 216 may provide the consumer with options that would beavailable. Accordingly, the financing determination module 216 mayensure that the consumer receives the requested prequalificationdetermination regardless of where the determination is made and may beprovided with purchase options regardless of the prequalificationdetermination.

The VHPS 106 also includes the user interface module 210. In someembodiments, the user interface module 210 may also be stored in themass storage device 208 as executable software code that is executed bythe CPU 202. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the VHPS 106 may beconfigured to execute the user interface module 210 to perform thevarious methods and/or processes as described herein.

The user interface module 210 may be configured to generate, provide,and/or operate user interfaces of various types. In some embodiments,the user interface module 210 constructs pages or displays to bedisplayed in a web browser or computer/mobile application. In someembodiments, the user interface module 210 may provide an application orsimilar module for download and operation on the consumer terminal 104,through which the consumer and the VHPS 106 may interact. The pages may,in some embodiments, be specific to a type of device, such as a mobiledevice or a desktop web browser, to maximize usability for theparticular device.

For example, the user interface module 210 may be configured toautomatically detect a type of computing device that is requestingvehicle history information or prequalification determinations, such asa mobile phone, a desktop computer, etc. This detection may be made viaan identifier that is communicated with the request. In someembodiments, the detection may be based on a consumer selection when theconsumer interacts with the VHPS 106 for the first time. According tothe detection, the user interface module 210 may determine to sendinformation formatted optimized for the proper computing device beingused by the consumer.

In some embodiments, the user interface module 210 may also interactwith a client-side application, such as a mobile phone application (an“app”), a standalone desktop application, or user communication accounts(e.g., e-mail, SMS messaging, etc.) and provide data as necessary todisplay vehicle history and prequalification determinations. Wheninteracting with the client-side application that is provided by theVHPS 106 (e.g., a VHPS 106 specific application or similar application),the user interface module 210 may be configured to format data forcommunication according to specifications and standards associated withthat application. For example, the user interface module 210 may beconfigured to format all communication messages according to specificinformation elements that may be understood by the application on thecomputing device. Accordingly, information may be securely andefficiently communicated back and forth when both sides know theappropriate specifications and standards.

In some embodiments, one or more windows or interactions between theVHPS 106 and the consumer may involve a lightbox or overlay layer or apopup or window. For example, a lightbox or overlay may comprise aformat that displays images and/or videos and text or prompts by fillingthe screen, and dimming out the rest of the web page or display. Thelightbox or overlay may, alternatively, or additionally, places a newset of images, information, or prompts over existing data whilemaintaining the existing data though it is covered (and thus notviewable) while the new set of information is visible. Use of thelightbox or overlay may allow for the presentation of new information tothe consumer without causing the consumer to lose the existinginformation. Additionally, or alternatively, the lightbox or overlayallows the consumer to view at least a portion of the existinginformation simultaneously with the information in the lightbox oroverlay. Additionally, or alternatively, the popup or window may allowfor the resizable display of information or requests to the user whileallowing for simultaneous viewing and access to new and existinginformation. The VHPS 106 may also include one or more multimediadevices 140, such as speakers, video cards, graphics accelerators, andmicrophones, for example.

The various components of the VHPS 106 may be coupled together by a bussystem 218. The bus system 218 may include a data bus, for example, aswell as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus inaddition to the data bus. In different embodiments, the bus could beimplemented in Peripheral Component Interconnect (“PCI”), Microchannel,Small Computer System Interface (“SCSI”), Industrial StandardArchitecture (“ISA”) and Extended ISA (“EISA”) architectures, forexample. In addition, the functionality provided for in the componentsand modules of VHPS 106 may be combined into fewer components andmodules or further separated into additional components and modules thanthat shown in FIG. 2.

The VHPS 106 may be controlled by operating system software, such asWindows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, Unix,Linux, SunOS, Solaris, iOS, Android, Blackberry OS, or other similaroperating systems. In Macintosh systems, the operating system may be anyavailable operating system, such as MAC OS X. In other embodiments, theVHPS 106 may be controlled by a proprietary operating system.Conventional operating systems control and schedule computer processesfor execution, perform memory management, provide file system,networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface, such as agraphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things.

FIG. 3 is a process flowchart illustrating an example method ofgenerating a vehicle history report and a prequalification determinationbased on the consumer request. Process 300 is an exemplary descriptionof a method that may involve the consumer and the VHPS 106. Methodssimilar to process 300 may be run simultaneously, in an overlappingmanner, or sequentially for multiple consumers at multiple locationsthat are each accessing the VHPS 106 via one or more dealer websitesand/or servers. In some embodiments, particular steps of the process 300may be implemented by the CPU 202, as referenced in FIG. 2. In someembodiments, one or more of the steps of the process 300 may beimplemented by one or more of the components of the VHPS 106, asreferenced in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Process 300 begins at block 302 and progresses to block 304. At block304, the consumer visits a vehicle shopping portal or website, forexample the vehicle website discussed above. The visit to the vehicleshopping portal may include browsing or searching for a vehicle ofinterest by the consumer. Once the consumer identifies a vehicle ofinterest, the process 300 proceeds to block 306.

At block 306, the consumer requests a vehicle history report (VHR) forthe identified vehicle of interest. In some embodiments, the consumermay request multiple VHRs when there are multiple identified vehicles ofinterest. In some embodiments, requesting the VHR may comprise selectingor identifying a specified link or VHR request button, as will bedescribed in further detail below. In some embodiments, the VHR requestlink or button may be on a vehicle listing's specific page or may be anoption when viewing a group of listing as applied to multiple specificlistings. Once the consumer requests the VHR, the process 300 proceedsto block 308.

At block 308, the consumer is presented with a prompt to inputinformation regarding a prequalification determination for one or moreavailable financing offers. In some embodiments, the prompt may bepresented to the consumer based on the consumer requesting the VHR forthe vehicle of interest. In some embodiments, the prompt may bepresented to the consumer based on the consumer selecting a link orbutton regarding prequalification determinations. In some embodiments,the prompt may request the consumer provide information regarding thetype of financing offer the consumer desires. In some embodiments, theprompt may appear as part of an overlay, lightbox, or popup. In someembodiments, the prompt may include individual fields for entry by theconsumer for each item of information needed for the prequalificationdetermination. In some embodiments, the prompt may include logincredentials for various accounts that may already include the consumerinformation needed for the prequalification determination. For example,the fields may include a login credentials request for a bank account, astore website or a credit vendor. Once the prompt has been provided tothe consumer, the process 300 proceeds to block 310.

At block 310, the process 300 determines if the consumer providedconsumer information when prompted at block 308. If the consumer didprovide the requested consumer information when prompted, the process300 proceeds to block 314. If the consumer did not provide the requestedconsumer information when prompted, the process 300 proceeds to block312.

At block 312, the process 300 may interpret the consumer's failure toprovide consumer information when requested as a lack of interest in afinancing prequalification determination and may place a temporarycookie on the consumer terminal to prevent future prompts requestingconsumer information for the vehicle of interest. By making thisinterpretation and placement of the cookie, the process 300 maystreamline the consumer's shopping experience by refraining fromprompting the consumer for consumer information simply because theconsumer requests the associated vehicle history report.

In some embodiments, the process 300 at block 312 will again prompt theconsumer, this time asking the consumer if they would like to blockfuture consumer information prompts. If the consumer indicates that theydo want to block future prompts, then the process 300 may set the cookiepreventing future consumer information prompts. If the consumerindicates that they do not want to block future consumer informationprompts, then the process 300 may not set the cookie preventing futureconsumer information prompts. By this second prompt, the process 300 mayavoid improperly interpreting the consumer's failure to provide consumerinformation as a lack of interest. In some embodiments, the cookie mayexpire after a predetermined amount of time. In some embodiments, theconsumer may manually request to reactivate the consumer informationprompts if desired. Once the process 300 determines whether or not toset the cookie at block 312, the process 300 proceeds to block 302 andrestarts.

At block 314, the process 300 may acknowledge the receipt of theconsumer's information when requested and may place a temporary cookieon the consumer terminal to prevent future prompts requesting consumerinformation for the vehicle of interest. The process 300 may assume thatfuture prompts requesting the consumer information may not be needed foreach vehicle of interest because the consumer information may remainconstant regardless of the vehicle. Accordingly, the consumerinformation might only be received once and then stored for applicationin any and all financing offer prequalification determinations. In someembodiments, the consumer will be again prompted at block 314, this timethe prompt requesting that the consumer confirm whether or not theywould like to block future consumer information prompts. If the consumerindicates that they do want to block future consumer informationprompts, then the process 300 might set the cookie preventing futureconsumer information prompts. If the consumer indicates that they do notwant to block future consumer information prompts, then the process 300might not set the cookie preventing future consumer information prompts.In some embodiments, the cookie might expire after a predeterminedamount of time. In some embodiments, the consumer may manually triggeror adjust the cookie.

Once the process 300 determines whether or not to set the cookie atblock 314, the process 300 forwards the information from the consumer tothe financing determination process (described above in relation to FIG.2). In some embodiments, the financing determination process isperformed by the VHPS 106 (for example, the financing determinationmodule 216 described in relation to FIG. 2). In some embodiments, thefinancing determination process may be performed by an external deviceor system (for example, the lenders' servers 110A-110C). Once theconsumer information is provided to the entity that will perform theprequalification determination (e.g., the financing determination module216 or the lenders' servers 110A-110C), the process 300 proceeds toblock 316.

After the cookie is set in either blocks 312 or 314, consumerinformation prompts may be blocked based on the previously set cookie asthe consumer continues to visit the vehicle shopping website. In someembodiments, the cookie may block prompts for only the previously viewedvehicles, so that repeated views of the same vehicle will not generatemultiple, useless prompts. In some embodiments, the cookie may blockprompts for all vehicles for the predetermined amount of time. In someembodiments, the cookie may be replaced by any other flag, indicator,value, or process that may be used to control whether or not the promptsare displayed subsequently.

At block 316, the process 300 proceeds to send the prequalificationdetermination to the consumer and the dealer. In some embodiments, theprequalification determination may be presented to the consumer and/orthe dealer as a lightbox, overlay, or popup. In some embodiments, theprequalification determination may include multiple options of financingoffers available and allow or request the consumer to select one or moreof the multiple options. In some embodiments, the prequalificationdetermination may be negative for the selected vehicle and may providealternate options for the consumer to review for which the consumer maybe approved. In some embodiments, the prequalification determination maybe negative with no alternatives. Once the prequalificationdetermination is provide to the consumer and the dealer, the process 300ends at block 318.

In some embodiments, the consumer may not be prompted for informationregarding the prequalification determination until the VHR requested bythe consumer is displayed to the consumer. For example, the lightbox,overlay, or popup including the prequalification questions may displayover the VHR. In some embodiments, the prompt for information regardingthe prequalification determination may occur as soon as the VHR isrequested and while the VHR is being retrieved and/or generated.

FIG. 4 is an example consumer interface generated by the VHPS 106 forbrowsing or searching for a vehicle of interest by the consumer. FIG. 4shows a listing of vehicles that may be browsed or searched by theconsumer. As shown, the left side of the FIG. 4 screen shows a pluralityof filters 405 which the consumer may choose to apply to their search orbrowsing session to limit or control what vehicles are displayed.Associated with the vehicle listings are vehicle history report triggers410. The triggers may comprise soft buttons, radio buttons or dials, orany other selection indicator, including text links, picture links,touchscreen detection, switch, etc. Each vehicle listing may have itsown vehicle report trigger 410. The vehicle report trigger 410 may senda request for a VHR for the identified vehicle, when activated by theconsumer. This request may correspond to the request received by process300 at block 304. Additionally, or alternatively, each vehicle listingmay have its own Pre-Approval trigger 415. The Pre-Approval trigger 415may send a request from the consumer indicating that the consumer isinterested in obtaining a preapproval determination for a financingoffer. However, as noted above, activation of the vehicle report trigger410 may automatically activate the request for preapproval andprequalification, as discussed above in relation to process 300 of FIG.3.

FIG. 5 is an example consumer interface for prompting the consumer forinformation needed to perform the prequalification determination, asused in an embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a prompt for preapproval orprequalification that appears as a lightbox or overlay 505 on top of anexisting VHR 510. In some embodiments, the lightbox 505 may be on top ofthe vehicle listing of FIG. 4 and may appear as soon as the consumerselects the vehicle report button 410. As shown in FIG. 5, the promptmay include various fields requesting personal information of theconsumer, including name, address, contact information, date of birth,and social security number. In some embodiments, more or lessinformation may be requested as part of the prompt. As indicated, thelightbox may be displayed for multiple steps of information prompts(three as indicated in FIG. 5). However, this need not always be thecase.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process 600 for providing aconsumer with a vehicle's history report and also providing thepre-qualification and/or pre-approval determinations. The process 600may be executed, for example, by the user interface modules 210 and/orthe vehicle history reporting module 214 and/or the financingdetermination module 216 of the VHPS 106, and/or the user interfacemodule 210 and/or the financing determination module 216 of the consumerterminal 104. In various embodiments, fewer blocks or additional blocksmay be included in the process 600, or various blocks may be performedin an order different from that shown in FIG. 6.

Beginning at block 605, the VHPS 106 receives a consumer request for avehicle history report for a specific vehicle while the consumer isbrowsing vehicles at a dealer. For example, the request may be receivedfrom the consumer via an application executing on the consumer terminal104 (FIG. 1), which may be a consumer device. Based on the request, theapplication may access one or more of a variety of different internetsites, including for example, car dealership websites, used vehicleshopping websites, vehicle history websites, and the like. Theapplication may access one or more of these internet sites to acquireinformation to generate the requested vehicle history report or toacquire the already generated vehicle history report. In someembodiments, the application may access these sites to confirm acquiredinformation. Once the necessary information is acquired form theseinternet sites, the process 600 proceeds to generate or compile thevehicle history report if a previously generated vehicle history reportis not available.

At block 610, the VHPS 100 presents the generated or acquired vehicle'shistory report to the consumer. In addition, either automatically or inresponse to a consumer request, the VHPS 106 presents to the consumer auser interface, such as, for example a fillable form, or the like, toreceive loan eligibility information from the consumer, including, forexample, the consumer's name, address, email address, phone number, dateof birth, social security number, and the like. An example of the formis shown in FIG. 5 above. In some embodiments, the fillable form of theuser interface may comprise an option for the consumer to provide logincredentials for another account, for example, a bank account, creditaccount, or another third party credential or information verificationsource, etc., where the loan eligibility information may already beprovided and/or stored. In some embodiments, the loan eligibilityinformation corresponds to the consumer information described above.

Continuing at block 615, the VHPS 106 receives the information from theconsumer using the user interface presented. In some embodiments, if theconsumer refuses to fill out the information, a temporary cookie may beplaced on the consumer terminal 104 of the consumer to prevent thepresentation of the user interface until expiration of the temporarycookie. In other embodiments, other such preventive measures may beused, or the consumer may be asked for the information after apredetermined time period. The consumer may also be prompted to make aselection of specific lenders to contact. Additionally, oralternatively, at block 615, the process 600 may be configured to usethe received login credentials to access the indicated account toacquire the necessary loan eligibility information.

Next at block 620, the VHPS 106 provides the information to one or morelenders to determine eligibility for the consumer. In some embodiments,the VHPS 106 uses the information to access a data storage storingcredit information for consumers, in parallel with and/or instead ofsubmitting the eligibility requests to the one or more lenders. Theaccessed data storage may provide credit information for the consumerthat may be used, in conjunction with financing criteria received fromthe one or more lenders, to determine eligibility for the consumer(e.g., via the financing determination module 216 of FIG. 2).Accordingly, either the VHPS 106 or the one or more lenders uses theloan eligibility information to determine if the consumer ispre-qualified for a financing offer. In some embodiments, thedetermination includes specific vehicle information.

At block 625, the VHPS 106 receives (or accesses) lending decisionsbased on the information received from the consumer. For example, thelending decisions may come from the one or more lenders described abovein block 620. In some embodiments, the lending decisions may be madepursuant to a process similar to the financing determination processdescribed above. For example, when the pre-qualification decision ismade by the lenders, the VHPS 106 may receive the decision from thelenders via the network 102 of the system 100 of FIG. 1.

At block 630 a, the VHPS 106 provides the pre-qualification and/orpre-screening data to the consumer interested in the specific vehicle.The data presented to the consumer may include loan offers for which theconsumer is pre-screened and pre-qualified. In some embodiments, theconsumer may also be prompted to provide consent for receiving apre-qualification report. In some embodiments, the consumer may also bepresented with information that the consumer does not qualify for anyloan offers, or that the vehicle in which the consumer is interesteddoes not qualify for any loan offers. If the vehicle does not qualifyfor any loan offers, the VHPS 106 may provide a list of vehicles,available at the dealer, that would qualify for loan offers.

For each loan offer, various information about the particular loan offermay be presented to the consumer, including for example who is thelender, what the loan offer includes (for example, an annual percentagerate (APR) and a term/duration for the loan), any conditions which mayneed to be satisfied prior to the loan being approved or distributed,and an associated action the consumer may take now with respect to theloan offer. The associated action presented may depend on the type ofloan offer—for example, the consumer may have the option to “Lock-inRate” or “Apply Now!” If the consumer selects to move forward with theloan offer, the consumer may be directed to the lender's website or maybe requested to provide additional information needed to proceed withapplying for the loan offer.

At block 630 b, instead of, or in addition to block 630 a, the VHPS 106provides the pre-qualification and/or pre-screening data of consumersinterested in specific vehicles to a seller of the specific vehicle—suchas for example the dealer. The dealer may then use this information topresent additional vehicle options to the consumer. In some embodiments,the dealer may receive information only indicating that the consumer didor did not qualify for a loan offer. For example, if the dealer receivesindication that the consumer does not qualify for a loan offer for aspecific vehicle, the dealer may redirect the consumer to anothervehicle with similar attributes for which the consumer may qualify. Onthe other hand, if the dealer sees that the consumer did qualify for theloan offer, the dealer may more aggressively try to close the sale ofthat vehicle to the consumer.

Alternatively, or additionally, the dealer may be provided with detailedinformation as to why the consumer did or did not qualify when theinformation relates to the vehicle, which the dealer may use try to sella different vehicle to better suit the needs of both the dealer and theconsumer. In some embodiments, in order to maintain confidentiality, thedetermination may not be provided to the dealer in any circumstances. Insome embodiments, when additional vehicle options are presented to theconsumer, they may be presented via the same user interface. Theadditional vehicle options may be determined based on the vehicleattributes selected by the consumer, as well as the financing amount forwhich the consumer is pre-screened and/or pre-qualified. Thedetermination of additional vehicles satisfying the criteria may becompletely automated.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a process 700for providing a consumer with a vehicle's history report and alsoproviding the pre-qualification and/or pre-approval determinations. Theprocess 700 includes steps of the process 600 which are identified bycorresponding element numbers. To the extent that the activities inthese corresponding blocks are the same as those described withreference to FIG. 6, they will not be repeated in detail here. Theprocess 700 may be executed, for example, by the user interface modules210 and/or the vehicle history reporting module 214 and/or the financingdetermination module 216 of the VHPS 106, and/or the user interfacemodule 210 and/or the financing determination module 216 of the consumerterminal 104. In various embodiments, fewer blocks or additional blocksmay be included in the process 700, or various blocks may be performedin an order different from that shown in FIG. 7.

Beginning at block 705, the consumer begins a vehicle search. In someembodiments, this vehicle search may begin on a dealer or a vehiclelisting (e.g., portal) website. As part of the consumer's vehiclesearch, the consumer may identify a vehicle of interest and may requestthe vehicle history report for that vehicle. This request may becommunicated to the dealer or portal website and communicated to theVHPS 106. The VHPS 106 receives the consumer request for the vehiclehistory report (similar to block 605 of process 600), and may presentthe consumer with the vehicle history report on the dealer or portalwebsite at block 710 (similar to block 610 of process 600). While thevehicle history report is being viewed by the consumer, the consumer maybe presented with an opportunity to prequalify for financing and provideconsumer information needed for the prequalification process at block715. At block 720, similar to block 620 of process 600, the consumerenters their consumer information and provides their consent for aprequalification decision.

Then, at block 725, a lender (or the VHPS 106 as described above) mayuse the consumer information to determine if the consumer qualifies forany financing options using specific lender criteria. At block 730, theprocess 700 may include a decisioning as a service (DaaS) platform toprocess the prequalification decision based on the various lendercriteria. At block 735, the consumer is presented with theprequalification determination and options, similar to block 630 a ofprocess 600. Once the consumer is presented with the options, at block740, the consumer may have the opportunity to pursue one of thefinancing options for which the consumer is prequalified. If theconsumer decides not to select a prequalification option (or fails toprovide a response), the process 700 proceeds to block 745, where theconsumer is redirected to another website and the consumer's data andprequalification determinations are cleared.

If the consumer decides to select a prequalification Option at block740, the process proceeds to block 750, the process 700 may notify thelender that the consumer does want to pursue one of the financing offersand may redirect the consumer to the lender's website. Once the lenderis notified of the consumer's interest, the process 700 proceeds toblock 755, where the dealer is notified of the consumer's interest, asthis may comprise a sales lead for the dealer. Then the process 700proceeds to block 760, where the consumer is provided details of theprequalification via a web configuration and/or an e-mail. In someembodiments, the presentation of information to the consumer may be viaan overlay or lightbox interface as described above.

Terminals and computing devices, which may comprise the software and/orhardware described above, may be an end user computing device thatcomprises one or more processors able to execute programmaticinstructions. Examples of such computing devices are a desktop computerworkstation, a smart phone such as an Apple iPhone or an Android phone,a computer laptop, a tablet PC such as an iPad, Kindle, or Androidtablet, a video game console, or any other device of a similar nature.In some embodiments, the computing devices may comprise a touch screenthat allows a user to communicate input to the device using theirfinger(s) or a stylus on a display screen.

The computing devices may also comprise one or more client programapplications, such as a mobile “app” (e.g. iPhone or Android app) thatmay be used to visualize data, and initiate the sending and receiving ofmessages in the VHPS 106. This app may be distributed (e.g. downloaded)over the network to the computing devices directly from the VHPS 106(e.g., the user interface module 210 or the storage device 208) or fromvarious third parties such as an Apple iTunes or Google Play repositoryor “app store.” In some embodiments, the application may comprise a setof visual interfaces that may comprise templates to display vehiclehistory reporting and financing information. In some embodiments, asdescribed above, visual user interfaces may be downloaded from anotherserver or service, such as the VHPS 106. This may comprise downloadingweb page or other HTTP/HTTPS data from a web server and rendering itthrough the “app”. In some embodiments, no special “app” need bedownloaded and the entire interface may be transmitted from a remoteInternet server to computing device, such as transmission from a webserver that is a part of the VHPS 106 to an iPad, and rendered withinthe iPad's browser.

In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodiedin hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions,possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programminglanguage, such as, for example, Java, Lua, C or C++. A software modulemay be compiled and linked into an executable program, installed in adynamic link library, or may be written in an interpreted programminglanguage such as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python. It will beappreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules orfrom themselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events orinterrupts. Software modules configured for execution on computingdevices may be provided on a computer readable medium, such as a compactdisc, digital video disc, flash drive, or any other tangible medium.Such software code may be stored, partially or fully, on a memory deviceof the executing computing device, such as the vehicle history reportingand financing system 100, for execution by the computing device.Software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. Itwill be further appreciated that hardware modules may be comprised ofconnected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or may becomprised of programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays orprocessors. The modules described herein are preferably implemented assoftware modules, but may be represented in hardware or firmware.Generally, the modules described herein refer to logical modules thatmay be combined with other modules or divided into sub-modules despitetheir physical organization or storage.

In some embodiments, the system distinguishes between the initialtransmission of loan application data required for user interfaces, andsubsequent transmissions of user interface data so that it may transmitonly portions that are necessary to update a vehicle history reportingand financing user interface. This may be done, for example, using anXMLHttpRequest (XHR) mechanism, a data push interface, AsynchronousJavaScript and XML (“Ajax”), or other communication protocols.

Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in thepreceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automatedby, code modules executed by one or more computer systems or computerprocessors comprising computer hardware. The code modules may be storedon any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or computerstorage device, such as hard drives, solid state memory, optical disc,and/or the like. The systems and modules may also be transmitted asgenerated data signals (for example, as part of a carrier wave or otheranalog or digital propagated signal) on a variety of computer-readabletransmission mediums, including wireless-based and wired/cable-basedmediums, and may take a variety of forms (for example, as part of asingle or multiplexed analog signal, or as multiple discrete digitalpackets or frames). The processes and algorithms may be implementedpartially or wholly in application-specific circuitry. The results ofthe disclosed processes and process steps may be stored, persistently orotherwise, in any type of non-transitory computer storage such as, forexample, volatile or non-volatile storage.

The various features and processes described above may be usedindependently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. Allpossible combinations and sub combinations are intended to fall withinthe scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or processblocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processesdescribed herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, andthe blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in othersequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or statesmay be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, ormultiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state.The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, orin some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed fromthe disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and componentsdescribed herein may be configured differently than described. Forexample, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged comparedto the disclosed example embodiments.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow diagramsdescribed herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should beunderstood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions ofcode which include one or more executable instructions for implementingspecific logical functions or steps in the process. Alternateimplementations are included within the scope of the embodimentsdescribed herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executedout of order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

All of the methods and processes described above may be embodied in, andpartially or fully automated via, software code modules executed by oneor more general purpose computers. For example, the methods describedherein may be performed by the vehicle history reporting and financingsystem 100, consumer terminal 104, and/or any other suitable computingdevice. The methods may be executed on the computing devices in responseto execution of software instructions or other executable code read froma tangible computer readable medium. A tangible computer readable mediumis a data storage device that can store data that is readable by acomputer system. Examples of computer readable mediums include read-onlymemory, random-access memory, other volatile or non-volatile memorydevices, CD-ROMs, magnetic tape, flash drives, and optical data storagedevices.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure. The foregoing description details certainembodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that nomatter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can bepracticed in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted thatthe use of particular terminology when describing certain features oraspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that theterminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including anyspecific characteristics of the features or aspects of the inventionwith which that terminology is associated. The scope of the inventionshould therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims andany equivalents thereof.

Other embodiments relating to the systems and methods disclosed hereinare detailed in the following documents, found in the Appendix of thepresent application, the entirety of which is bodily incorporated hereinand the entirety of which is also incorporated herein by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle history and prequalification system,comprising: a computer system having a processor and a memory, thecomputer system configured to: provide an interface for operation by auser at a remote computing device, receive a request, via the interface,from the user regarding a vehicle history report of a vehicle, therequest including at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN)of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or other uniqueidentifier of the vehicle, prompt the user, via the interface, for anindication of user interest in a prequalification for a financing offerassociated with the vehicle, and receive the indication of user interestin the prequalification, via the interface, the indication includingpersonal information of the user; a data storage module, accessible bythe computer system, configured to: retrieve data corresponding to thevehicle from at least one of a third party information database, anindustry publication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehiclespecification database, store the retrieved data according to the VIN,license plate, or other unique identifier for the vehicle, retrieve datacorresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification for thefinancing offer, and store the retrieved data according to one or moreunique identifiers for the user; wherein the computer system is furtherconfigured to: convey, via the interface, the vehicle history report tothe user, the vehicle history report generated based on the retrievedand stored data corresponding to the vehicle, and convey, via theinterface, the prequalification determination to the user.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein the computer system configured to prompt the user isfurther configured to overlay the prompt to the user on top of databeing viewed by the user.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the databeing viewed by the user is the generated vehicle history report that isconveyed to the user.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computersystem is further configured to generate the vehicle history reportbased on the retrieved and stored data and wherein the conveyed vehiclehistory report is the vehicle history report generated by the computersystem.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the retrieved and stored datacorresponding to one or more vehicles comprises the vehicle historyreport.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage module isfurther configured to: retrieve one or more criteria on which thedetermination of the prequalification for the financing offer is based,wherein the one or more criteria are retrieved from at least one of athird party financing database, a financing industry database, and afinancial entity database; and store the one or more criteria accordingto the one or more unique identifiers of the user.
 7. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the computer system is further configured to generatethe prequalification determination based on the retrieved and storedcriteria and the information regarding the user.
 8. The system of claim1, wherein the computer system is further configured to convey, viaanother interface, the prequalification determination to a dealer thatis selling the vehicle.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computersystem is further configured to identify additional vehicles at thedealer in which the user may be interested, the identification based onthe retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle and theprequalification determination.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein theprequalification determination indicates that the user is approved forthe financing offer and where the computer system is further configuredto: convey details of the financing offer to the user; prompt the user,via the interface, for an indication of user interest in pursuing thefinancing offer for which the user is prequalified; receive, via theinterface, the indication of interest of the user in pursuing thefinancing offer; and convey the indication of the user to a lender. 11.A computer-implemented method, comprising: providing an interface foroperation by a user at a remote computing device; receiving a request,via the interface, from the user regarding a vehicle history report of avehicle, the request including at least one of a vehicle identificationnumber (VIN) of the vehicle, a license plate of the vehicle, or otherunique identifier of the vehicle; prompting the user, via the interface,for an indication of user interest in a prequalification for a financingoffer associated with the vehicle; receiving the indication of userinterest in the prequalification, via the interface, the indicationincluding personal information of the user; retrieving datacorresponding to the vehicle from at least one of a third partyinformation database, an industry publication database, a safety ratingsdatabase, and a vehicle specification database; storing the retrieveddata according to the VIN, license plate, or other unique identifier forthe vehicle; retrieving data corresponding to a determination regardingthe prequalification for the financing offer; storing the retrieved dataaccording to one or more unique identifiers for the user; conveying, viathe interface, the vehicle history report to the user, the vehiclehistory report generated based on the retrieved and stored datacorresponding to the vehicle; and conveying, via the interface, theprequalification determination to the user.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein prompting the user comprises overlaying the prompt to the useron top of data being viewed by the user.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the data being viewed by the user is the generated vehiclehistory report that is conveyed to the user.
 14. The method of claim 11,further comprising generating the vehicle history report based on theretrieved and stored data, wherein the conveyed vehicle history reportis the vehicle history report generated by the computer system.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the retrieved and stored data correspondingto one or more vehicles comprises the vehicle history report.
 16. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising: retrieving one or more criteriaon which the determination of the prequalification for the financingoffer is based, wherein the one or more criteria are retrieved from atleast one of a third party financing database, a financing industrydatabase, and a financial entity database; and storing the one or morecriteria according to the one or more unique identifiers of the user.17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating theprequalification determination based on the retrieved and storedcriteria and the information regarding the user.
 18. The method of claim11, further comprising conveying, via another interface, theprequalification determination to a dealer that is selling the vehicle.19. The method of claim 18, further comprising identifying additionalvehicles at the dealer in which the user may be interested, theidentification based on the retrieved and stored data corresponding tothe vehicle and the prequalification determination.
 20. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the prequalification determination indicates that theuser is approved for the financing offer and further comprising:conveying details of the financing offer to the user; prompting theuser, via the interface, for an indication of user interest in pursuingthe financing offer for which the user is prequalified; receiving, viathe interface, the indication of interest of the user in pursuing thefinancing offer; and conveying the indication of the user to a lender.21. An apparatus for vehicle history and prequalification determination,comprising: means for providing communication with a user at a remotecomputing device; means for receiving a request from the user regardinga vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request including at leastone of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a licenseplate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle; meansfor prompting the user for an indication of user interest in aprequalification for a financing offer associated with the vehicle;means for receiving the indication of user interest in theprequalification the indication including personal information of theuser; means for retrieving data corresponding to the vehicle from atleast one of a third party information database, an industry publicationdatabase, a safety ratings database, and a vehicle specificationdatabase; means for storing the retrieved data according to the VIN,license plate, or other unique identifier for the vehicle; means forretrieving data corresponding to a determination regarding theprequalification for the financing offer; means for storing theretrieved data according to one or more unique identifiers for the user;means for conveying the vehicle history report to the user, the vehiclehistory report generated based on the retrieved and stored datacorresponding to the vehicle; and means for conveying theprequalification determination to the user.
 22. A computer programproduct comprising a computer readable medium comprising instructionsthat, when executed, cause an apparatus to perform a method, the methodcomprising: providing an interface for operation by a user at a remotecomputing device; receiving a request, via the interface, from the userregarding a vehicle history report of a vehicle, the request includingat least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, alicense plate of the vehicle, or other unique identifier of the vehicle;prompting the user, via the interface, for an indication of userinterest in a prequalification for a financing offer associated with thevehicle; receiving the indication of user interest in theprequalification, via the interface, the indication including personalinformation of the user; retrieving data corresponding to the vehiclefrom at least one of a third party information database, an industrypublication database, a safety ratings database, and a vehiclespecification database; storing the retrieved data according to the VIN,license plate, or other unique identifier for the vehicle; retrievingdata corresponding to a determination regarding the prequalification forthe financing offer; storing the retrieved data according to one or moreunique identifiers for the user; conveying, via the interface, thevehicle history report to the user, the vehicle history report generatedbased on the retrieved and stored data corresponding to the vehicle; andconveying, via the interface, the prequalification determination to theuser.